Freedom University

Cruz & Associates is Proud to SUPPORT FREEDOM TO LEARN

About the Freedom University Project

Cruz & Associates is committed to the education and empowerment of Hispanics in the communities we serve. We are proud of our involvement with the FREEDOM UNIVERSITY PROJECT as both sponsors and this year, through the appointment of Ruben Cruz to the Board of Directors of this non-profit organization.

Freedom University is a modern-day freedom school based in Atlanta. We provide rigorous college-level classes, scholarship assistance, and leadership development for undocumented students in Georgia. We opened our doors in 2011 following the passage of Policy 4.1.6, which bans undocumented youth from attending Georgia’s top five public universities, and Policy 4.3.4, which prohibits undocumented students from qualifying for in-state tuition. While more than 22 states allow undocumented students to attend public universities or qualify for in-state tuition, Georgia is the only state in the country to ban students both from select universities and from in-state tuition. Because undocumented students are ineligible for federal financial aid, these policies effectively exclude undocumented students and usher in a modern era of educational segregation in the South.

Our faculty are fully committed to providing students with college courses equivalent to those taught at the state’s most selective universities. In addition, we provide college application and scholarship assistance, leadership development, and movement skill-building to empower a new generation of undocumented youth leaders. We believe that all human beings — regardless of race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or citizenship status — have a universal right to education. As a result of our work, one out of every five students that walks into Freedom University banned from public higher education in Georgia leaves with a full merit scholarship to a college out of state.

Freedom University also collaborates with documented student allies at colleges and universities across the state. Through a strategy of disciplined policy campaigns and non-violent direct actions, we are changing college admissions policies in Georgia and transforming the public debate on equal access to higher education. As a result of our collaboration with the Freedom at Emory Initiative, Emory University announced in April 2015 that it would accept qualified undocumented students and provide privately-funded, need-based financial aid to those who qualify. We are building a powerful documented/undocumented student movement that will win fair admissions policies in Georgia and give rise to a new generation of movement leaders.

Because we do not charge tuition for our undocumented student body, our sustainability relies on the generosity of friends and donors around the country. Thank you for supporting Freedom University and our vital work educating and empowering undocumented youth in Georgia.

Improving Our Communities is the Core of our Business

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